Weight of Us
by meteorfalls
Summary: The world is ending. Brendan plans to stop it, but an intervention gets in his way.


The torrential downpour swallowing Hoenn whole can be described as anything but calming, contrary to what the news reporters have been telling everyone on the TV for the past ten minutes. Pacing back and forth through her living room, May stares wide-eyed at the television, her fingers fidgeting with one another rapidly; her swampert—Mud-Bud—simply snorts, his paw raking and smacking against the back door while he glares at his trainer.

"Mud-Bud, you're not going outside in this weather!" May scolds, but her eyes don't even dare to rip away from the bright screen.

Funnily enough, as she says that, the hurricane-like rain flamboyantly flashes into harsh sunlight, Immediately, Mud-Bud backs away from the glass with a hiss escaping his lips.

"As of now, it is unsure what's being done to stop Kyogre and Groudon's wrath," the news reporter states, wiping away what appears to be sweat from his forehead. "Just...please, remain calm." May rolls her eyes. "Also—Elite Four officials are reaching out for Steven Stone, who—" instantly, the screen transitions to an admittedly stunning male specimen in a tux—"appears to be discussing matters with a boy."

With a gasp, May trips to a halt, stumbling over her own feet. Rushing over towards the screen, her palms pressing against it, she gapes at the oh-so familiar frowning kid on the screen.

"_BRENDAN_?!"

"It seems that our champion has chosen this child to head towards the Sky Pillar—"

"NO!"

"—yes, Steven is sending a child to Sky Pillar...for some reason." The news reporter touches his hand to his ear, pausing for a split moment before adding: "Oh! This kid is apparently the son of Norman, leader of the Petalburg Gym, and it seems that Steven and Wallace both have chosen him for awakening Rayquaza—"

_Zrrrt!_

In an instant, the television turns to black, and like a mini earthquake, the world trembles in fear as thunder roars. Shoulders drooping along with a jaw hanging open, May can't even bring herself to flinch when bullets of water punch at her roof from above. Brendan: the most wimpy kid she's ever known, that one kid who can't even bring himself to surf on Mud-Bud's back...why him?! Mr. Steven Stone must have beedrills in his brains if he thinks Brendan can even get to Sky Pillar in one piece!

"Mud-Bud, we're going outside!"

— ϟ—

Hopping off of her swampert and onto the beach of Sky Pillar, May squeaks as she slips on the muddy sand beneath her feet and collapses onto her chest; as if Groudon suddenly decided that she really needs to suffer, the rain evaporates into nothing but a scorching heat wave, forcing the sand beneath May to burn into her skin. Growling a few...naughty words, the trainer scrambles to her feet, returning the giggling Mud-Bud back into his pokéball. While she swipes the sand off of her muddy clothes—and therefore scowling when she only spreads the mud around—May doesn't notice the figure approaching her.

"May?"

May jolts her eyes upwards. Ahead of her stands Brendan, whose clothes are in an even worse condition from the mixture of mud and sand. (Mango—Brendan's blaziken—stands behind him, holding an umbrella to cover his feathered frame.)

The frown on his lips tightening, Brendan furrows his eyebrows. "May, what are you doing here?"

"I have the same question for you!" May booms, fists clenching together. Brendan flinches at the sudden volume. "What were you even thinking?!"

"L-look," Brendan stammers, bunching his shoulders together. His voice is soft, and almost—trembling, in a way. May can't tell if he's worried about pissing her off more, or just being himself. "I-I...I can explain—"

"You don't have to—I'm taking you home, right now!"

Forcing her hand around the boy's wrist, May starts to drag him away; she can hear Mango cawing and snarling behind her, but May only grits her teeth. She has a swampert, she can totally handle any over-cooked chicken—

"Hey!" May cries out, glowering back at Brendan as he rips himself away from her. "Get back here!"

Charging towards him, May tries to slam the punk to the ground, but narrowly misses as he hops out of the way. Snarling and spitting, May spins and rams into his chest, fingers scratching at his shirt. Brendan winces at first, but holds his ground, his hands hovering over May's back as he possibly tries to calculate on what to do, or what to say.

"May, what are you doing?" Brendan gingerly mumbles, his voice somehow remaining calm as May begins to punch at his chest.

The punches are light—well, "light" until May actually tightens her fists and scores a good one on the dead center of Brendan's chest. Coughing, Brendan wraps his hands around May's as Mango begins to stomp forwards.

"M-May? (Please, Mango, it's fine...)"

The subdued voice irritates May, as if Brendan can't comprehend what's even happening right now. God, does anything ever affect him? Or is he just that...that stupid?!

"What do you mean what am I doing?!" May roars, her fiery stare meeting Brendan's ginger gaze. His worried expression morphs into a bit of a fright, but he doesn't budge a single inch. "Seriously, what's _wrong_ with you?! You're gonna..._kill_ yourself doing this, Brendan!"

Thunder roars from the heavens, and soon enough a flood of rain comes tumbling down, washing away the heat. Whimpering, May buries her head into her friend's chest, gritting her teeth. At first, she feels the chilling rain splash down her cheek, but then lukewarm water follows after it. Shoulders shuddering, she gasps for more breath.

"You can diegoing up there," she chokes out, flinching as waterfalls of tears roll off of her cheek.

Like a movie screen, May's brain begins to play those happy moments of her and Brendan. The dorky mudkip and sweet torchic's first battle, camping under the stars, telling ghost stories that scared the crap out of Brendan...if he storms up to Rayquaza face-to-face, will all of those go to waste? All those happy memories, those days May never wants to forget, won't all of those be meaningless should he choose to go? She...she doesn't want that.

"I don't want you to die! Please, just don't go..."

Slamming her eyes shut with a gasp, May waits for something, anything from Brendan...but he doesn't move, not even a muscle. They just stand there, in silence, the heavy downpour roaring along with the cry of Kyogre from afar. It's coming, isn't it...? But finally, after what feels like an eternity, Brendan exhales slowly.

"If I don't do this," he mumbles, carefully letting go of May's hands, "You will die—_Hoenn_ will die."

May grits her teeth. Of course he's so selfless. Brendan's always been like that, ever since day one when he let himself lose their first pokémon battle because he didn't want the little Mango to get too hurt. Not to mention those times when Brendan defended her, those times when he gave her extra money since she lost a battle, those times when he got her pokédolls whenever she felt sad. Or...all those times when he took on stupid Team Magma or Team Aqua all by himself because he didn't want May to, even when he completely knew that he's just a kid, he couldn't be victorious.

All those times, May never thought about the toll it took on Brendan. She instantly visualizes seeing him frowning at the end of it all, bruised up and bitter, silently thrilled that—despite his injuries and somber pokémon team—his friend is happy and safe now. And God forbid that she ever thought that one day, she'd be nearing Brendan's own funeral because he felt the need to do something as severe as waking up a short-tempered dragon.

"Can't Steven just pick someone else?!" Pulling away from Brendan, May shoves her hand across her eyes, avoiding eye contact. "This is all Aqua and Magma's fault, can't he make them do it?" Brendan shifts around a bit. "You're a _kid_, Brendan; barely twelve years old, you have done so much already, and—a-and—"

She stumbles over her words, trembling as more tears leak off of the bottom rim of her eyes. This time, Brendan doesn't respond; he only stands there, defeated, as he helplessly watches his friend choke on her own tears. Dragging her hues up at Brendan's, May hesitates, noticing the terrified expression on Brendan. He's cowering almost, shrinking underneath his own skin, and to top it off, his eyes are growing glossier and glossier by the second.

Oh no.

"Brendan—"

"May, of course I'm terrified," he whispers, his voice barely audible above the rain, "but please, let me do this for you, for our parents, for Hoenn—"

"I won't let you do this alone!" May interrupts, taking a step forward.

She's tired of this, tired of it all. Over the past few years she has taken Brendan's selflessness—his idiotic generosity—for granted, and of course she only realizes it now, when he's willing to risk his own life for everyone! Shoving her hand into open air, May puts on a determined glare.

"If you're going up there, then please, Brendan, let's at least do it together!"

Brendan flinches at the offer, stepping back as he gapes at May's hand. He looks as if he can spill out a thousand words of why she shouldn't come, why it's too dangerous for her, why it's his responsibility...but instead, he remains as silent as a statue. For a second, Brendan opens his mouth, eyebrows furrowing a little, but then stops; slowly but surely, he inches forward, gingerly wrapping his hand around hers. His grip is loose, but at the same time...comforting, almost.

He breathes in, closing his eyes before releasing a meek "okay."

As the two head towards the entrance of Sky Pillar, May can't help but smile a little as she squeezes Brendan's hand. Sure, the world's ending, but...the world around them somehow seems more approachable, as if the burdening weight of awakening Rayquaza and the godly weather surrounding them is more manageable with two instead of just one. And, well...May wouldn't dare to tell Brendan this, but maybe it's meant to be that way.

They're meant to do things together, and the chance of seeing Brendan smile at the end of all of this would be _so worth it_.


End file.
